3 Nail Art Brushes Every Artist Needs

Some people seem to have this belief that you can't do nail art unless you have a million nail art brushes. While there's no such thing as too many brushes, I pretty much use the same three for almost all my nail art!

Striping BrushOh, my dear sweet striping brush. This long, thin brush is used for painting skinny lines or any time you want to have a long, smooth line. It doesn't offer as much intricacy and control as a detail brush but it makes painting flawless lines a breeze. This brush is perfect for doing snowflake nails, American flag nails, zebra nails, or crystal nails.

Detail BrushPossibly the most important nail art brush you need is a small detail brush. Eventually you'll find yourself skulking around art stores trying to find the tiniest brushes ever made! This brush offers a lot of control and precision for when you're doing complex painting, although in a lot of cases a nail art pen could do the same job. I prefer brushes as I feel it can be hard to control the flow of polish from nail art pens. I've used this brush to do leopard nails, neon pattern nails, cartoon nails and tribal nails.

Clean Up BrushI can not stress enough how important it is to clean up after you do nail art! I talked about it a bit in my nail art blogging article, but it really is SO important! I've used a few different brushes for clean up, but the one I'm currently using (pictured on the left) is my favourite. It doesn't hold much liquid, so you don't flood your cuticles with acetone when you're trying to do a quick swipe to remove a mistake. I've also used an angle brush (which is good for getting right in those cuticles), but it's important to make sure it's not too saturated before you touch it to your cuticle or it will flood. I use 100% acetone for my clean up. It may be more drying than usual remover, but it gets the job done and a bit of cuticle oil fixes the dryness right up!

Where to Buy

Your main places to buy brushes will probably be the internet, art/hobby stores and nail supply stores. If you choose to buy online, I would suggest Amazon or Ebay, but beware of those amazingly cheap sellers from China on Ebay. The quality can be quite dodgy, you might find them losing their point and falling apart in a couple weeks.

If you decide to buy from a nail supplier, your best bet is Sally Beauty Supply. Most big cities in Canada, America and the UK have one. The brush selection they have online is pretty decent, so you should be able to find what you're looking for. Craft stores is a bit more of a gamble, but they usually have pretty small, fine brushes.

Caring For Your Brushes

The better you care for your nail art brushes, the better they will work for you. Simple. Cleaning them is important, and it's best to do it as soon as you're done using them, if you can manage without screwing up your mani.

Give them a quick rinse in 100% acetone right after you're done painting. What I usually do is pour a bit of acetone into the lid from the bottle for easy access and minimal waste. I swirl the brush in the acetone and gently wipe it on a cotton pad. I repeat this process until there's no polish residue when I wipe it. As long as you're diligent and careful your brushes should hold up really well. I've been using the same two brushes for over a year.

If your brushes are stiff and hard, it means there is dried polish in them. You can soak them in some remover or acetone, but try not to leave them for toooooo long! The first time I soaked my brushes I, very stupidly, left them bristle down in a glass of remover and came back to find bent tips.

To preserve the point while you soak your brushes, use a clothsepin to suspend them in acetone. Clip it onto the brushes and place it over the rim of the glass so the brush is suspended in the remover. Submerged, but not touching the bottom of the glass, as you can see in the photo above. Leave them for about an hour, then rinse them in water to remove any acetone and leave them laying flat to dry.

If you have any problems or questions with your nail art brushes, feel free to email me and I'll help you out.